Sanding machine for vehicles



Feb. 18, 1941. B. F. ATWOOD 2,232,422

SANDING MACHINE FOR VEHICLES Filed May 29, 1940 lnvenror. Benjamin F.' ATwood ATTys.

Patented Feb. 18, 1941 2 n 2222422 2 v 22 snNmNGMAcnnva roavnmcnas Benjamin F. Misha, military; mammoth f 7 Marshall I trustee I'.,Marston, Winchester, Masa, as

2 A umimm eamt, 335,179"

(creel-249i? f 2'I 'his 1invention relates todmprovements' in it sanding machines for vehicles-and the general objector theinventionds to provide a sanding machine having controllable means for selectively 5 discharging sand in the path of the tractive wheels 0! the vehicle which will be certain and eflective inope'ration. 2 ,j

In-usual sanding machines the dischargelotsand from the sand box or tank containing the l sameis controlled by a sliding gate valve or by a poppetvalve. Such valves are inemcienttor the reason that sand is likely to enter between or accumulate between the relatively movable oil the valve and valveseatso that the valvewill 2stick= and prevent its operation, orremain pantially open thereby causing a waste of sand.

The present invention is designed to avoid these defects by providing an arcuate closure ii member underlying and narrowly separated mm the lower end ot the outletpipe' and movable about an axis located above and {laterally or the outletend of the pipe thereby; permittingthe sand to flow freely from the outlet pipe.

A further object of the invention is to provide means operable upon or by the swinging movei -ment 0t the closure member to jar or'impart vibration to" the outlet pipe thereby to dislodge V any accumulation of sand whichmight2hava occurred *within the outlet pipe, or above it.

Another objector the invention is to provide a flexible mounting for the outlet member inthe bottom of the sand boxthereby enabling out-j let=pipe to bemore'efl'ectivelyjarred or vibrated upon the opening or thej'closure'member.

sand therethrought This is accomplished inthe present invention by providing 'the pper end or senting aslarger area than the areal oi. the nor izontal section of the pipe and also forming the outletpipewith an upper portlonoi! somewhat less diameter than the lowe inglytapering downwardly.

Another-objectof the inventionls to provide novel means for actuating the closure member comprising ashaft fixedly secured to the arcuate closure member having anarm flexibly connected tothe core of a solenoid which preferably is 60 mounted upon thebottom oi the sand box with Another object or the invention is to provide portion and idivergthe pipe with an angularly inclined entrance pre I to prevent entrance; or water into the sand within ;which,- 2 1 5oz the chassis and traction wheelsot'avehlcle 'wlth the sand box embodyingthe invention manually operable means tor'controlling from a convenient point, such as the dash board of a vehicle, the electric current supplied to the solehold to energize it and thereby cause actuation of theclosure'member. e

Another-object o; the invention; is to provide removable covermechanism for the sand box with means for eflectivelyfclamping'and sealing the cover upon the, -sand box in such manner as theboxj 2 I Another object of the invention-is to provide means for prev'entingwater irom splashingupon' the closure member of the sand boxor entering thecasing surrounding the closure member. 2

A further object of the invention is to provide an effective means for detachably mountingthe sandbox upon suitable supporting means carried These and other objects and features of the v invention will "more mny appear trom the tollowing description and the accompanying draw ing and will be particularly poihtedout in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of I the "invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

18 a conventional illustration of a portion 2 80 mounted in advance of traction wheels; i 2 i 1 1'18. 22 is a side elevation of the sanding machine Iordellvering the sand in proximity respectively to a painot; traction wheels, the lowerportlon of the sandbox and closure mechanism being shown in vertical section and the central portion broken awaytoyshow that the sand box may be oi. any deslredqdepth; 2 H. 2 y ,Flgn 3.is a vertical sectional view of the con struction shown in Fig. 22 on line 3-4 viewed from, the right toward the left; i

and in proximity the 2 Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical sectional viewsimilar toi the lower portion f Fig. 3, but showing the;

closure member swung to a position to discharge or, sand from the sand box through a discharge. opening in the easing into the path of a traction wheel; and,

2 2 p Fig; 5 is aifragmentary detail view showing a,

: modification -ofjthe means for sealing the cover on the top ot 'the same box to prevent admission/2 or water into the sand box. 2 M A preferredembodirnent of the invention is illustrated herein'as applied to a vehicle such] as a truck a portion or which is illustratedin Fig. lcomprising a frame or chassis l and traction wheels 2 mounted uponthe chassis in the" usual manner (not shown) witha sand box 3 supported upon the chassis of the vehicle. In

the particular construction illustrated in Fig. 1 m

traction wheels.

strengthened by plates 9 extending across and 6. The means for supporting the sand box upon the chassis of the vehicle desirably comprises angle'bars I which are welded or otherwise secured to the sides 4 of the sand box at a distance from its upper end and adapted to rest upon the horizontal flanges of complementary angle bars 8 which are mounted upon the chassis and extend across it so that similar sand boxes may be mounted in front of the other The end of the box may be welded or otherwise secured to it intermediate of the angle bars I and if desired may also be welded to the angle bars to provide a more rigid construction.

In order to prevent the entrance of water into the sand box a cover I 0 is provided having a downwardly extending peripheral flange I I which closely embraces the upper end of the sand box and seats upon a water-repellent packing. As illustrated in Fig. 3 Z-bars I2 are secured to the sides and ends of the sand box preferably with their lower edges engaging the horizontal flanges of the angle bars I and plate 9. These Z-bars provide channels which contain a water-repellent packing I3, such as rubber, which is engaged by the edge of the flange I I. A modified sealing construction is shown in Fig. 5 in which a metal band I2a: extends along the sides and ends of the sand box at a suitable distance from the top thereof and the vertical flanges of reversely positioned angle bars Ia: and the end plates 9 overlie and extend above the band I20: sufliciently to provide a channel to receive the water-repellent packing which is engaged by the edge of the cover flange. The bands I22, the angle bars Ix, and the plates 9 may be bolted, welded, or otherwise secured to the walls of the sand box.

Any suitable means may be provided for clamping the cover upon the sand box. A simple and convenient device which is illustrated herein comprises a series of plates having inwardly inclined legs I4 the lower ends of which rest upon the horizontal flanges of the angle bars I and inwardly extending angularly inclined sections I5 which overlie the cover I0. Bolts I6, "which are mounted in the horizontal flanges of the angle bars 1, extend through suitable apertures in the inwardly extending portion I5 of the plates and preferably winged nuts IT on the upper ends of the bolts serve as means for clamping the plates firmly against the horizontal flanges of the angle bars and the cover and to force the edge of the cover flange II tightly into engagement with the packing I3 thus efiectively excluding the entrance of water into the casing.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide means for distributing sand from the sand box in the path of the traction wheels of the vehicle comprising an outlet pipe and closure member therefor which can be easily manipulated to close or open the outlet end of the outlet pipe which will be certain in operation and which will not be subject to sticking or. choking by reason of accumulation of sand between the relatively movable parts thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide means operable when the closure member is moved toward open position which will jar the outlet pipe or which can be repeatedly manipulated to jar the outlet pipe to dislodge any accumulation of sand in the outlet pipe which would bridge or otherwise interfere with the free flow of the sand through the outlet pipe. This is accomplished in the present invention by providing a swinging closure member, preferably of arcuate form movable about a pivotal axis located above the outlet end of the sand delivery pipe and laterally of the axis of the pipe, so constructed that when the closure member is swung to open position as to impinge upon and jar the pipe. In order to facilitate the jarring or vibrating movement imparted -to it the outlet pipe desirably is mounted upon a flexible resilient member suitably supported upon the bottom ofthe sand box. I

In the particular construction illustrated the sand box is provided with two outlet pipes each of which is adapted to deliver sand in the path of the traction wheels, such for example as those of a pair of traction wheels commonly employed in heavy trucks.

These outlet pipes and the closure members therefor may be and preferably are identical and a description of one will serve for a description of both.

As illustrated each outlet pipe I8 extends through an aperture I9 suitably positioned in the bottom of the tank and of greater diameter than the outlet pipe. The outlet pipe extends through and is fixedly secured to a flexible member 20 preferably a. thin sheet of resilient metal which overlies the aperture I9 in the bottom of the sand box and is welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of the box. The upper end portion of the outlet pipe I8 desirably converges to a smaller diameter thereby facilitating the free flow of sand through the pipe. The upper end of the sand pipe which projects into the sand box above the plate 20 desirably is cut to pre sent an inclined wall 2I of approximately fortyflve degrees thereby providing an opening of somewhat greater area than that of the horizontal section through the pipe and also presents an inclined upper edge which will prevent the sand in the sand box from accumulating upon the top of the pipe and bridging it.

The closure member for the outlet end of the outlet pipe is in the form of a cup-shaped valve having an arcuate, preferably semi-cylindrical portion 22 which underlies the discharge end of the outlet pipe I8 and is narrowly spaced therefrom and preferably having parallel circular ends 23 concentric with the cylindrical portion 22 of the cup. One of these circular ends 23 desirably is rigidly connected by welding or otherwise to a hub 24 upon the end of a shaft 25 which is journaled in suitable bearings 26 fixedly mounted upon vertical webs 21 which are welded or otherwise secured to the under side of the bottom 6 of the sand box. The shaft 25 is so mounted in said webs that its axis is located such suitable distance above the lower end of the outlet pipe I8 that the arcuate or semi-cylindrical wall of the valve will be spaced narrowly from the lower end of the outlet pipe. The axis of the shaft is so located laterally with respect to the vertical axis of the outlet pipe that when the cylindrical portion of the closure member is swung upwardly to the open position illustrated in Fig. 4 the lower edge of the cylindrical closure member will pass beyond the lower end of the outlet pipe, .thereby permitting free flow of sand through the outlet pipe.

Preferably the construction is such that when the closure member is swung to open position illustrated in Fig. 4 theopposite or upper edge of the closure member will impinge against the outlet pipe thereby jarring it and by reason of the flexible mounting of the outlet pipe in the bottom of the sand box will cause 'suflicient vibration of the outlet pipe to discharge any sand which may have accumulated in the outlet pipe, or above it.

Any suitable manually controlled means may beprovidedfor actuating the closure member. In

the preferred construction illustrated herein the shaft is provided with a rigid arm2B which is connected by a link 29 to the core 30 of a solenoid 3| which may be mounted upon any convenient portion of the sand box, but preferably is mounted upon the bottom of the sand box. Where two sand-delivering outlet pipes are employed, as shown in Fig. 2, the arm 28 extends from the shaft 25 midway of its length and the solenoid 3| is mounted upon the bottom of the sand box cenvehicle or any other point convenient to the operator ina usual manner (not shown) provides means for energizing and deenergizing the solenoid, thereby to control the actuation of the closure member or members.

When the closure member or members is or are in position to close the outletpipe or pipes, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the weight of the closure member, the arm28 on the shaft 25, and the solenoid serves to maintain the closure membar in closed position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

When the solenoid is energized by throwing the switch to complete the circuit through the solenoid the core 30 of the solenoid is drawn upwardly thereby swinging the closure member to the position shown in Fig. 4 so that its then upper edge will impinge upon the outlet pipe and jar it as above described. Obviously if sand accumulated on the pipe is not dislodged by the opening of the valve, the switch can be opened and closed any number of times, thereby causing the solenoid re peatedly to cause the closure member to jar the outlet pipe until the sand flows freely through it.

When the closure member is to be swung to closed position it is merely necessary to de-energize the solenoid circuit by throwing the switch so that the arcuate or cylindrical portlonof the closure member will be swung into closed position illustrated in Fig. 3. Inasmuch as the arcuate closure member is out of contact with the lower end of the outlet pipe l8 there willbe no impediment to the movement of the closure member to closed position shown in Fig. 3. When in such closed position a small amount of sand will accumulate within the cup-shaped closure member which will effectively stop the flow of sand, but no such accumulation will occur as would in any wise resist the swinging of the closure member to open position.

In order to prevent water from entering the cup-shaped closure member and thereby. cause adhesion of particles of sand together, a suitable casing for the closure mechanism is provided. While this may be of any suitable form theplate construction comprises a sheet metal casing having outwardly extending flanges 36 which are welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of the sand box and extend longitudinally thereof and 2. preferably semi-cylindrical section 31 underlying the cylindrical portion 22 of the closure members and provided with downwardly extending tubular outlets or nipples 38 in axial alinement with the outlet pipe or pipes I 8 and preferably of larger diameter thansaid outlet pipes. The casing is provided with preferably integral ends 39 and the webs 2! in which theshaft 25 is journaled desirably form partitions which will preventsand from entering the space between the partitions.

In order to provide for easy assemblage of the closure member upon the sand box and removal therefrom for repair or replacement, the flanged upper ends of the casing desirably are secured by machine screws or bolts to the bottom 6 of the casing.

In order to prevent water from'spla'shing upwardly through the outlets, 38 in the casing 36 preferably bell-shaped protectors 40 are secured.

to the tubular outlets or nipples of the casing. These protectors maybe conveniently formedof rubber having cylindrical extensions 4| adapted to clamp upon the extensions or nipples forming outlets of the casing. I

In order to support the weight of the sand above the outlet pipe and prevent such compression of the sand adjacent the bottom of the sand box 1 as would interfere with the free flow through the pipe a canopy of much larger area than the diameter of the, pipe is mounted directly above the outlet pipe. In the particular construction illustrated the canopy comprises a flat steel plate 42 having an outwardly and downwardly flared peripheral skirt 43 providing an air space beneath the plate 42 which will prevent accumulation of pressure of sand on the upper end of the outlet pipe. The canopy is supp rted upon 'a plurality of suitably spaced bolts 44 which extend through the flexible plate ill and the bottom of the tank and is secured thereto by suitable nuts, the upper end of the bolts 44 being likewise provided with upper and lower nuts on opposite sides of the canopy. .By reason of this construction a considerable volume of sand is supported upon the canopy while the spaces between adjacent bolts are sufficient to permit the sand to flow freely inwardly into the inlet end of the outlet pipe [8.

In the operation of the device the, sand thus flowing into the outlet pipe l8 will passdownwardly through the outlet/pipe l8 and when the closure member is in closed position, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, will accumulate in the cupshaped closure member sufllciently to blockfun ther passage of the sand from the outlet pipe.

When it is desiredto distribute sand in the path I of the traction wheel the .switch in the electric" circuit is closed thereby to complete the circuit through the solenoid whereupon the solenoid will draw its core upwardly thereby acting through the arm 28 of the shaft 25to rotate the closure member a quarter turn to the position illustrated in Fig. 4 thusdumping the sand which is accumulated in the cup-shaped closure member and permitting the sand to flow directly from the outlet pipe into the path of the traction wheel.

herein is of an illustrative character and is notrestrictive, and that various changes in form, construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

' means normally supporting said closure member in a position in which the accumulated sand will prevent discharge of said from said pipe, actuating means for moving said closure member entirely away from beneath said outlet pipe to a position in which the sand will be wholly discharged from the closure member and unimpeded vertical downward flow of the sand fromthe outlet of said pipe will be permitted and means operable upon actuation of said closure member to impart vibration to said outlet pipethereby to dislodge any accumulation of sand which might have occurred therein.

2. A sanding machine for vehicles comprising a sand box, an outlet pipe flexibly mounted in and extending vertically downwardly from the bottom thereof, a semi-cylindrical closure member narrowly spaced from the outlet end of said pipe adapted when in closed position to receive and maintain a sufficient accumulationof sand effectively to seal the outlet of said pipe, pivotal means wholly supporting and entirely guiding said closure'member free from external frictional'interference, means for swinging said closure member in one direction to'discharge substantially all of the sand therefrom and to withdraw one edge of said ciosuremember from beneath the outlet end of said pipe thereby-to permit unimpeded flow of sand from said outlet pipe and to cause the oppo-- site edge of the closure member to impinge upon and vibrate said outlet pipethereby to dislodge any "accumulation of sand whicninay have occurred therein.

3. A sanding machine for vehicles comprising a sand box, a vibratory outlet pipe flexibly mounted in the bottom of said sand box and extending vertically downwardly therefrom, a concavedly curved closure member narrowly spaced from the outletend of said pipe adapted when in closed position to receive and maintain a sufficient accumulation of sand effectively to seal the outlet of said pipe, pivotal means wholly supporting and entirely guiding said closure member free from external frictional interference, and means for swinging said closure'member such distance as to discharge substantially all of the sand therefrom and to withdraw one edge of said closure member from beneath the outlet end of said pipe thereby to permi unimpeded flow of sand from said outlet pipe and to cause the opposite edge of said closure member to impinge against and vibrate said outlet pipe.

4. A sanding machine for vehicles comprising a end and when swung upwardly about its pivotal axisto withdraw one edge of said semi-cylindrical closure member frombeneath the outlet end of said pipe and to cause the opposite edge to impinge upon and jar said pipe, and means for actuating said closure member.

5. A sanding'machine for vehicles comprising a sand box having an aperture in its bottom, a resilient flexible plate member mounted on said bottom overlying said aperture, an outlet pipe of smaller diameter than said aperture extending substantially centrally through and fixedly secured to said flexible member, a movable closure member for the outlet of said pipe, means for actuating said closure member to permit discharge of sand from said outlet pipe, and means operable upon actuation of said closure member to impart vibration to said outlet pipe.

6.'A sanding machine for vehicles comprising a sandbox, an outlet pipe mounted in the bottom of the box and projecting substantial distances above and below said bottom with the upper end of said pipe presenting an inclined tubular periphery to prevent choking of the inlet thereof, a closure member for the lower end of said outlet pipe. and means for actuating said closure member to permit discharge of sandfrom said outlet p p '7. A sanding machine for vehicles comprising a sand box, an outlet pipe mounted in the bottom of the box and projecting substantial distances above and below said bottom with the upper end of' said pipe presenting an inclined tubular periphery to prevent choking of the inlet, thereof, a canopy of larger area than that of said pipe overlying the inlet end thereof and having a down-.

8. A sanding machine for vehicles leaving a.

plurality of traction wheels comprising a sand box mounted on said vehicle, vibratory outlet pipes extending through the bottom of said sand box each having a portion thereof flexibly connected to said bottom and positioned to discharge sand in the paths of the respective vehicle wheels, a casing having closed ends mounted upon the under side of said sandbox and having downwardly extending tubular portions of greater area than said outlet pipes in alinement with the respective outlet pipes and provided with transverse partitions parallel to and spaced from said ends, a shaft mounted in said partitions laterally ofi et with respect to a vertical plane passing-'thro gh said outlet pipes, closure members secured to the ends of said shaft having semi-cylindrical bottoms normally underlying and narrowly separated from v the lower ends of said outlet pipes, an arm rigidly mounted on said shaft between said partitions and manually operable means connected to'said arm iforv swinging said closure members from beneath the outlets of'said pipe to positions in which the accumulated sand will be discharged from the closure members and the closure members caused to impinge upon and simultaneously vibrate said outlet pipes.

BENJAMIN F. ATWOOD.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,252,h22. February 18, l9hl.

BENJAMEN F. ATWUOD.

It is.hefeby certified that error appears in the printed speeifliqation ofthe above numbered patent requiring correctionas follows; Page 5,-sec- 0nd column, line 67, fortheuwrd "said? read -sand-; and age h, first column, line 12, claim 1, for "said" first occurrence, read --sand-; and that the said Letbere Patent should be read with this cofrection therein that the same may eonform to the record of the case in the Patefit Office.

Signed and sealed this 25th day of March, A. D. 19u1.

Henry Van Arsdale,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

I (Seal 

